The launch of EY Studio+ reflects a familiar challenge in the marketing and media ecosystem: how to balance commercial ambition with the need for objective oversight.

As traditional consulting/audit firms expand into marketing services - covering strategy, design, customer experience, and more - they also move closer to the budgets and agency relationships they may be asked to audit. That doesn’t automatically create conflict, but it does make independence harder to demonstrate, maintain, and trust.

Effective compliance audits rely on clarity and objectivity. Advertisers need to know that those reviewing financial performance and agency adherence have no stake in the outcome. When the lines between audit and execution blur, confidence in the process can erode - regardless of controls in place.

This is not just a commercial question. It can also carry implications for governance, transparency, and regulatory expectations, particularly where financial compliance is involved.

The more complex and integrated marketing ecosystems become, the more essential it is to preserve the independence of oversight. In that context, the role of a trusted, impartial auditor is not diminished - it becomes essential.

Ernst & Young has launched EY Studio+, a new unit consolidating its design, marketing, sales and customer experience technology services to better compete for chief marketing officers’ budgets. With 7,000 staff and plans for further growth, the unit aims to rival Accenture, Deloitte and major ad holding groups.

EY Studio+ builds on over a decade of acquisitions in creative and digital services. Positioned as a modern consultancy embracing AI-driven customer transformation, EY plans to pitch the unit at Cannes Lions.

The move follows flat consulting revenue and reflects EY’s ambition to broaden its appeal beyond traditional accounting and compliance services.